Gearbox has ceased development on Battleborn, though the servers will continue running

Back in June Battleborn went free-to-play in order to revitalize its diminishing playerbase, but unfortunately the boost was only temporary as Battleborn currently sits at ~72 concurrent players on average. Given these rather dire stats I'm sure it won't come as much of a surprise to hear that Gearbox has now officially ceased development on Battleborn, though thankfully the servers will continue running for the foreseeable future.

This announcement comes to us from Battleborn's Creative Director Randy Varnell, and while the message doesn't reveal much new information it does at least show that Gearbox is still hard at work on multiple big projects. Here's the full and rather heartfelt quote:

"Hello Friends -

It’s been a while since I’ve communicated with you directly, so I wanted to take the opportunity to write to you as Battleborn rounds another milestone in its life.

As of this week, there will be no more Battleplans and there is currently no planned content after the Fall Update. Details of any future changes or news will be made on our forums or through social media, so keep your radars on.

Never fear! Battleborn is here to stay. Nothing is changing with Battleborn, and the servers will be up and active for the foreseeable future. We announced the Fall Update for the game at PAX including some new skins, themed around some of your favorite Borderlands characters! That update will also include some updated title art (more full bar titles!) for the more significant challenges in the game, as well as some additional Finisher Boosts and Taunts. Also, there are minor balance changes in that patch.

If you’ve been paying attention to recent news from the Gearbox Panel at PAX West, you’ll have heard that many folks at Gearbox are working on a highly anticipated project. Although I’m sad my time on Battleborn is coming to a close, I’m happy to announce that I will play a significant role on this highly anticipated but unannounced game, and I’m sure you’ll be hearing some from me again in the future regarding Gearbox games.

I’ve been working on Battleborn nearly exclusively since 2012, and in some ways, that work stretches back to 2009 for me. It’s been a long labor of love with many of my good friends at Gearbox, and I’m proud to have shared that journey with you, our community. Your spirit and loyalty have been a constant inspiration to the team at Gearbox.

Also, I want to personally thank you for giving Battleborn a chance, and dipping down into a new universe with us. We make games for you. And many of you have shared with us how much Battleborn has meant to you personally.

It’s always a bittersweet time when transitioning from one project to another, but also offers the opportunity to step back and enjoy the game we created. Keep an eye out for me in game!

For now, Commander Jythri is signing off and taking the first transport back to a wonderful box of surprises.

You are awesome.

For Solus."

As a little parting gift, the Battleborn developers are currently giving away Deande's "Intelligence" skin. You can unlock it in-game via the SHiFT code: ZKK33-FT59R-KCK3S-XCR33-B56HB

Speaking of which, if you ever wanted to give Battleborn a try now would be the best time to do so as I can't imagine the playerbase going any higher after the developers themselves have given up on it. You can find it for free on Steam, and if you need a bit of an introduction to what Battleborn is even all about, I'll leave you with one of its best trailers. Enjoy!